Auschwitz #34207: The Joe Rubinstein Story

Shortly before dawn on a frigid morning in Radom, Poland, twenty-one year-old Joe answered a knock at the door of the cottage he shared with his widowed mother and siblings. German soldiers forced him onto a crowded open-air truck. Wearing only an undershirt and shorts, Joe was left on the truck with no protection from the cold. By the next morning, several around him would be dead. From there, things got worse for young Joe, much worse.

I Have Lived a Thousand Years: Growing Up in the Holocaust

Imagine being a 13-year-old girl in love with boys, school, family - life itself. Then suddenly, in a matter of hours, your life is shattered by the arrival of a foreign army. This is the memoir of Elli Friedmann, who was 13 years old in March 1944, when the Nazis invaded Hungary. It describes her descent into the hell of Auschwitz, a concentration camp where, because of her golden braids, she was selected for work instead of extermination. In intimate, excruciating details she recounts what it was like.

Amazon Customer says:"Touching and Important Story - Terrible Audio Performance"

Our Crime Was Being Jewish: Hundreds of Holocaust Survivors Tell Their Stories

Our Crime Was Being Jewish contains 576 vivid memories of 358 Holocaust survivors. These are the true, insider stories of victims, told in their own words. They include the experiences of teenagers who saw their parents and siblings sent to the gas chambers; of starving children beaten for trying to steal a morsel of food; of people who saw their friends commit suicide to save themselves from the daily agony they endured.

Karolina's Twins: A Novel

From Ronald H. Balson, author of the international best seller Once We Were Brothers, comes a saga inspired by true events of a Holocaust survivor's quest to fulfill a promise, return to Poland, and find two sisters lost during World War II.

Outcry: Holocaust Memoirs

Mendel (Manny) Steinberg spent his teens in Nazi extermination camps in Germany and Poland, miraculously surviving while millions perished. This is his story. Born in 1925 in the Jewish ghetto in Radom, Poland, Manny soon realized that people of Jewish faith were increasingly being regarded as outsiders. In September 1939 the Nazis invaded, and the nightmare started. The city's Jewish population had no chance of escaping and was faced with starvation, torture, sexual abuse and ultimately deportation.

Rena's Promise: A Story of Sisters in Auschwitz

"I do not hate. To hate is to let Hitler win." - Rena Kornreich Gelissen. On March 26, 1942, the first mass transport of Jews - 999 young women - arrived in Auschwitz. Among them was Rena Kornreich, the 716th woman numbered in camp. A few days later, her sister Danka arrives and so begins a trial of love and courage that will last three years and 41 days, from the beginning Auschwitz death camp to the end of the war.

The 23rd Psalm: A Holocaust Memoir

In September, 1939, George Lucius Salton's boyhood in Tyczyn, Poland, was shattered by escalating violence and terror under German occupation. His father, a lawyer, was forbidden to work, but 11-year-old George dug potatoes, split wood, and resourcefully helped his family. They suffered hunger and deprivation, a forced march to the Rzeszow ghetto, then eternal separation when 14-year-old George and his brother were left behind to labor in work camps while their parents were deported in boxcars to die in Belzec. For the next three years, George slaved and barely survived in 10 concentration camps.

The Secret Holocaust Diaries: The Untold Story of Nonna Bannister

For half a century, a terrible secret lay hidden, locked in a trunk in an attic... photos, official documents, and scraps of a diary written by a young girl. "The time has come when I must share my life story... some facts from the past that could make a contribution, however small it may be, to the history of mankind." The Secret Holocaust Diaries is a haunting eyewitness account of Nonna Lisowskaja Bannister, a remarkable Russian-American woman who saw and survived unspeakable evils as a young girl.

In 1941, newlyweds William and Rosalie Schiff are forcibly separated and sent on their individual odysseys through a surreal maze of hate. Terror in the Krakow ghetto, sadistic SS death games, cruel human medical experiments, eyewitness accounts of brutal murders of men, women, children, and even infants, and the menace of rape in occupied Poland make William & Rosalie an unusually explicit view of the chaos that World War II unleashed on the Jewish people.

Irena's Children: The Extraordinary Story of the Woman Who Saved 2,500 Children from the Warsaw Ghetto

In 1942 one young social worker, Irena Sendler, was granted access to the Warsaw Ghetto as a public health specialist. While she was there, she began to understand the fate that awaited the Jewish families who were unable to leave. Soon she reached out to the trapped families, going from door to door and asking them to trust her with their young children. She started smuggling children out of the walled district, convincing her friends and neighbors to hide them.

I Shall Live: Surviving the Holocaust Against All Odds

I Shall Live tells the gripping true story of a Jewish family in Germany and Russia as the Nazi party gained power in Germany. When Henry Orenstein and his siblings ended up in a series of concentrations camps, Orenstein's bravery and quick thinking help him to save himself and his brothers from execution by playing a role in the greatest hoax ever pulled on the upper echelons of Nazi command. Orenstein's lucid prose recreates this horrific time in history and his constant struggle for survival as the Nazis move him and his brothers through five concentration camps.

The Lifelong Learner says:"Gripping - Like You're in a Chinese Finger Trap"

Survival in the Shadows: Seven Jews Hidden in Hitler's Berlin

The remarkable true story of two families that survived against all odds in the heart of the Nazi capital. Survival in the Shadows rivetingly chronicles the incredible survival of seven German Jews in Berlin through the final and most deadly years of the Holocaust.

Underground in Berlin: A Young Woman's Extraordinary Tale of Survival in the Heart of Nazi Germany

In 1941, Marie Jalowicz Simon, a 19-year-old Berliner, made an extraordinary decision. All around her, Jews were being rounded up for deportation, forced labor, and extermination. Marie took off her yellow star, turned her back on the Jewish community, and vanished into the city. In the years that followed, Marie lived under an assumed identity, forced to accept shelter wherever she found it.

The Nazi Officer's Wife: How One Jewish Woman Survived the Holocaust

Edith Hahn was an outspoken young woman in Vienna when the Gestapo forced her into a ghetto and then into a slave labor camp. When she returned home months later, she knew she would become a hunted woman, so she went underground.

Country of Ash: A Jewish Doctor in Poland, 1939-1945

Country of Ash is the starkly compelling, original chronicle of a Jewish doctor who miraculously survived near-certain death, first inside the Lodz and Warsaw ghettoes, where he was forced to treat the Gestapo, then on the Aryan side of Warsaw, where he hid under numerous disguises. He clandestinely recorded the terrible events he witnessed, but his manuscript disappeared during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. After the war, reunited with his wife and young daughter, he rewrote his story.

Sheva's Promise: Chronicle of Escape from a Nazi Ghetto

In this gripping memoir, Lederman tells her story of survival during one of the most horrific episodes in history. Beginning with Lederman as a young girl in Poland in 1941, Sheva's Promise traces her experience in a Nazi ghetto with her mother and sister. Resolved that she must avoid the detention camp to help her family, Lederman obtains a false birth certificate and escapes the ghetto.

Auschwitz: A Doctor's Eyewitness Account

When the Nazis invaded Hungary in 1944, they sent virtually the entire Jewish population to Auschwitz. A Jew and a medical doctor, the prisoner Dr. Miklos Nyiszli was spared death for a grimmer fate: to perform "scientific research" on his fellow inmates under the supervision of the man who became known as the infamous "Angel of Death" - Dr. Josef Mengele. Nyiszli was named Mengele's personal research pathologist. In that capacity he also served as physician to the Sonderkommando, the Jewish prisoners who worked exclusively in the crematoriums and were routinely executed after four months.

My Brother's Voice: How a Young Hungarian Boy Survived the Holocaust: A True Story

Stephen 'Pista' Nasser was 13 years old when the Nazis whisked him and his family away from their home in Hungary to Auschwitz. His memories of that terrifying experience are still vivid, and his love for his brother Andris still brings a husky tone to his voice when he remembers the terrible ordeal they endured together. Stephen's account of the Holocaust, told in the refreshingly direct and optimistic language of a young boy, will help every listener to understand that the Holocaust was real.

Broken Angels

Imprisoned in the Lodz Ghetto, Elsi discovers her mother's desperate attempt to end her pregnancy and comes face-to-face with the impossibility of their situation. Risking her own life, Elsi joins a resistance group to sabotage the regime. Blonde, blue-eyed Matilda is wrenched from her family in Romania and taken to Germany, where her captors attempt to mold her into the perfect Aryan child. Spirited and brave, she must inspire hope in the other stolen children to make her dreams of escape a reality.

Long Journey Home: A Young Girl's Memoir of Surviving the Holocaust

The summer of 1939 turned out to be the last summer of author Lucy Lipiner's childhood. On September 1, when she was six years old, her parents roused Lucy and her older sister from their beds, and with other relatives in tow fled their town of Sucha and the invasion by Nazi Germany.

My Mother's Ring: A Holocaust Historical Novel

In My Mother's Ring: A Holocaust Historical Novel, Henryk Frankowski feels compelled to pen his memoir and finally share his poignant story from his hospital bed as he lay dying. His carefree childhood as a Jewish boy in Warsaw, Poland is never far from his mind as he recalls the tumultuous world he endured during the Holocaust. Henryk speaks uninhibitedly about the intense bond he has with his family, particularly his adoration for his nurturing mother. Ultimately, the Frankowskis' lives are broken apart as World War II ignites.

Told with the same old-fashioned narrative power as the novels of Herman Wouk, The Seamstress is the true story of Seren (Sara) Tuvel Bernstein and her survival during wartime. This powerful eyewitness account of survival, told with power and grace, will stay with listeners for years to come.

Remember Us: My Journey from the Shtetl Through the Holocaust

Remember Us is a look back at the lost world of the shtetl: a wise Zayde offering prophetic and profound words to his grandson, the rich experience of Shabbos, and the treasure of a loving family. All this is torn apart with the arrival of the Holocaust, beginning a crucible fraught with twists and turns so unpredictable and surprising that they defy any attempt to find reason within them. Through the eyes of 91-year-old Holocaust survivor Martin Small, we learn that these priceless memories that are too painful to remember are also too painful to forget.

Publisher's Summary

A classic of Holocaust literature, Gerda Weissmann Klein's celebrated memoir tells the moving story of a young woman's 3 frightful years as a slave laborer of the Nazis and her miraculous liberation. All But My Life stands as the ultimate lesson in humanity, hope, and friendship. Klein's memoir is the basis for the HBO Academy Award-winning best documentary short, One Survivor Remembers.

I hesitated for over a year from writing a review of Gerda Weissmann Klein's -All But My Life- for the strange but simple reason that this book is my favorite book of the Holocaust and I simply could not put the phrase -favorite book of the holocaust- into print. The Holocaust is something beyond ordinary human experience and I lack the proper means to express the gravity with which I feel about it. I have listen to most everything Audible has on Holocaust literature: Night, Day, The Nazi Officer's Wife, Defying Hitler, Schindler's List, Anne Frank, and have read many more. Gerda's story appeals to me precisely because I cannot relate to her. She has a purity of soul and a set of survivor skills that I simply do not have. It also helps that she was rescued and had a good life in America after the war. Anything positive in these accounts is very welcome indeed to a reader. A word to the wise, at any one time, be careful how much Holocaust literature you read. Regarding the narration, I did not require authentic European accents or pronunciations, only that I understood what was being said, in English, and the narrator provided this in a dignified and attractive style. MB

Compelling listen, excellently written, and superbly narrated. My parents lived through the holocaust and this book made me feel what my mother must have gone through. Grace Conlin does a superb rendition. Her voice is calm and controlled with the right touch of emotion so you believe that you are there through Gerda Weissmans eyes. I met and heard Gerda Weissmann, some time after she wrote this book, and although Mrs. Weissmann Klein has a mild European accent Grace Conlin manages to reflect her demeanor and outlook. I recommend it to everyone lest we forget.

This is an incredibly well written book. Gerda Weissmann Klein tells her story with such simple words and heartfelt honesty, that I often felt overwhelmed by the clarity of her descriptions, and the hopelessness of her situation. Just as heart-wrenching as the "Diary of Anne Frank," Mrs. Klein's story is one that I will ponder and reflect on for the rest of my life. After reading this, how any of us would ever again indulge in any form of prejudice, is truly confounding.
I found Grace Conlin's dignified reading perfectly suited to the author's character.

Excellent. This book, in my mind, seemed much longer than 10 hours. That is to say that listening to it was a deeply meaningful experience. I had dreams about it later. The narrator's voice was resonant and somber--I'm surprised that some readers didn't like it. This is an uncommon and captivating book, and its a great opportunity to be able to listen to it.

This is my first review even though I have listened to many audible books and I love them. This was one of those stories I couldnt stop listening to, although the narrator did bother me. She ended every sentence with the same exact inflection. Her "voices" were horrible, Gerda sounded like Minnie Mouse many times. I understand that Ms. Weismann-Kline would have a european accent as well as that particular Jewish diction, but I have heard many of these and NONE of them sounded like this lady. That aside, this book is a DONT MISS, especially if you are interested in the Holocaust - I dont know if Gerda is still with us, but I send her and her family much, much love and respect and thank her for her courage and honesty. I will never forget you...

I always marvel at people who perserve through unspeakable horrors, yet manage to overcome, grow, and suceed. I liked the slow speed of the reader, it made me feel as if I were in the room with Mrs Klein as she was retelling her memories.

This book was so poorly read, that I was forced to do something I would never do - write a review. I just thought people had to know. If you want to learn about this amazing life story, unless you absolutely don't have the time to read it, please get the book. I felt the speaker was too lacking in emotion. It seemed like she was unhappy with going to work, and took the task of reading this heartfelt story of tragedy and hope with the tone of someone merely doing a job. She would have inflections in her voice, but at times they seemed on cue, in a sort of missed cue sort of way. For example, there as a section in the book where a small girl is yelling at a bread maker, calling him crazy for saying something she found unbearable to hear. It sounded like a robot speaking. I'm sorry, and mean no offense, but this was a difficult book to sit through, and found myself avoiding it, even though I wanted to hear the story, as my grandfather was in a camp for a short time.

This was one of the greatest books that I have listened to. My children, ages 16, 13, and 12, could not believe all of the things that happened to Gerta. I think it has given them courage. I know that it has given me courage. Amazing what humans are able to do both in a positive way (Gerta) and a negative way (Hitler).

To be 15 and held in contempt and raging hatred by your countrymen... Gerda is but a young girl when the war rolls into town, and yet she survives and adapts to even the most brutal treatment. Her story is haunting, full of memories and details that I will never forget, I am thankful she shared them. She writes with a voice devoid of hatred, and she reminded me how lucky I am to be alive and well and surrounded by those I love.

I love this book! I have listened to it more times than I care to count. Beautiful written and read. Moving and deeply upsetting ... love, even the unrequited kind. Young lives cut short, yet living on, for ever, young

Have you listened to any of Grace Conlin’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This was a wonderful story of courage and stoicism and how the human spirit can endure. The author told her story with clarity and courage

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

D. Brown

West Yorkshire, UK

6/26/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"A beautifully related memoir"

Any additional comments?

Gerda Weissman Klein’s memoir of her life during World War II is harrowing to say the least. Separated from her loved ones, surrounded by fear and tragedy, Gerda’s life is turned upside down overnight and she faces years of anguish, pain and grief. Despite it all she retains an immense sense of what is right and fair, often putting the needs of others above her own and often putting her own life at risk in order to stand up for her principles.

Although the details given in Gerda’s account do not feel watered down by any means, you can’t help but think that even though her recollections are horrific, there’s much more that she has chosen not to share and can only be stunned by her bravery and determination. She loses everything – all but her life and her spirit.

One of the most remarkable aspects of the story is the advice Gerda is given by her father to wear her winter walking boots one day: advice that will prove to be lifesaving. If it had been a novel, it would have seemed like one of those quaint coincidences that ties a book together but knowing that this is an autobiographical tale actually makes this incredibly poignant. Even though I finished the book a couple of weeks ago, every time I think about it I remember those boots and how her father’s last piece of advice would be, literally, life-saving.

It is impossible for me to give All But My Life anything other than five stars. This is a beautifully related memoir: despite the overwhelming sense of tragedy and pain, Gerda’s will to survive and determination to keep not only herself going but others as well is utterly heart-wrenching. Although I have never been a huge fan of autobiographies, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this. It is a story that must be told and it is a time that we must never, ever forget.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Fran

Banbury, United Kingdom

3/5/13

Overall

"All But My Life"

Heart wrenching true story well worth listening to About the forced harsh labour on a young Jewish girl during the Nazi Regime. Remarkable

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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